


Broken

by Tezca



Category: In Dreams (1999)
Genre: F/M, Romance, Song Lyrics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-22
Updated: 2012-10-22
Packaged: 2017-11-16 20:47:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/543668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tezca/pseuds/Tezca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vivian thought he was alone</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken

**Author's Note:**

> The lyrics I used for the story is from Broken, a song from Robert Downey's album The Futurist

Vivian though he was alone that afternoon, walking to the living room towards the small piano inside the huge mansion looking house that is what used to be Claire’s parents house. Her parents were famous authors it turned out and Claire was the sole inheritor. They moved to Cambridge and thus into the place when Claire’s parents had passed away a few years ago.

Claire was out doing errands and a short autograph session of her new children’s book as far as he knew. It was a sunny summer day and he could see sunlight pour through the windows in the open space of the room as he got his music out. He had started writing songs with Claire’s encouragement after they had gotten together.

She helped him calmed down over the years though Vivian still had nightmares from time and time. He had also sworn on the best apple pie he can make that he’d seen Claire’s dead daughter a few times. Those resulted in him feeling depressed the next day, crying while saying I’m sorry over and over, pleading Claire not to leave him.

Claire in turn would always promise not to leave him, telling him that she has forgiven him and would console him while laying in bed with Vivian for the rest of that day.

He would also try to find ways to make it up to Claire whenever the anniversary of her death came up as well on her birthday. For both of their sake they would not acknowledge the days, just carrying on like it was just another day. On those days it was the little things he did, making dinner for her or dessert to cheer her up among other stuff. It usually worked for the most part, Claire would smile and kiss him in return as they would sit on the couch or on their bed watching tv or a movie.

Sometimes however, though they were rare, Vivian would wake up sensing that Claire was in a more than usual emotional state, getting a vibe that the memories of Rebecca and who killed her might come up if he stuck around before leaving for his job. He would get up early leaving a note saying he was called to the bakery shop where he works at. Claire would find it on his side of the bed and reading it, knowing the unspoken reason of his departure for the day.

One of those times, he managed to make the day where Claire’s daughter was born bring some happy memories for her by bringing home a stray kitten he had found in the streets nearby.

“I found her on the streets and she looked cold and hungry...” Vivian said, explaining as Claire was wrapping the little kitten up in a blanket, “...and the mom cat wasn’t anywhere nearby.”

“She was abandoned.” Claire stated, cutting him off sensing what happened to the kitten.

“She was?”Thats sad,”

“Yeah, just a few days ago I’m guessing.”

They kept the little stray, which ended up being named Little Becky, a name they both thought was the right one for her. Said kitten was now a cat who was sleeping on the floor a few feet away from the piano.

Vivian put his hands on the keys ready to play as he first took some breaths to warm up. Said cat looked up at him when he started singing a song that he had recently wrote.

“...in love with a broken heart...” His rich voice started filling the room, “..you fell in love with a broken heart...”

.He sang a couple more lines of his song until Claire came through the front door, becoming to engross in his playing not to hear the door.

“...there would be someone new every night....some other love yarn...” 

Claire stood there like she was in a trance put upon by his gravelly voice. She told him one time that he could sing the phone book and she would still melt at the sound of his voice. 

She then walked over a few steps, making sure to be quiet as she didn’t want to disturb him playing. She hasn’t heard this particular song before and she wanted to hear the rest of it, loving every minute of it. 

She also told him quite a few times before that she thinks he could make it has a singer/songwriter if he wanted to. He would deny having a good voice and Claire would disagree.

She could also go on forever about Vivian’s piano playing causing him to blush in public if Claire mentioned it around their friends. Most people she found were genuinely surprised when they were told that Vivian taught himself back at his old place years ago.

“...love in these modern times...I’ll become what your first class said...I’m no lightweight, I’ll find time to throw us down....

Claire found herself walking into the room and closer to Vivian.

“...you feel my medicine side effect...think I’ll grab some magazines...”

Vivian kept playing even when he finally noticed Claire, well truth be told he has sensed she was back when she got closer to him, but he wanted her to hear the whole song. She was now leaning on the side of the piano watching him as he would look up every few seconds to look at her.

“That was a very beautiful song Viv.” Claire commented after he got done.

“You think so?” Vivian stammered a bit, sounding a little unsure. 

“Yes, you have a talent for songwriting and don’t get me started on your piano playing.” Claire started, smiling as she answered, “It..I can’t explain it properly other than its amazing and wonderfully complex.”

Vivian chuckled at that as Claire sat down next to him, “You also sing pretty damn amazing.”

“Really?”

“Yes really. You can make it as a singer if you wanted too.”

“Oh th.thanks, but I’m not sure I would be comfortable on the stage. Maybe I can try songwriting,” Vivian said while looking at Claire.

“Whatever you want Viv.” Claire replied in a gentle tone of voice before kissing him on the cheek.

Vivian then took the pile of papers he had up on the little stand in front of him and got out a sheet music with lyrics on it. 

“I want to show you something I’ve been working on.” He said, handing it over to Claire, who glanced at it, “It’s a new song and I just finished it. Took me awhile...you know that poem that I always had in my memory for as long as I can remember?”

“The wrote it on a fence one?”

“Yeah, I got inspired after listening to a bunch of depressing country songs.”  
Claire was looking at the song, reading the lyrics as Vivian explained. The writing to her felt more honest to her, but she came to expect that from any of her husband’s songwriting. To her, he was one of the best songwriters she came across.

“I was thinking of sending it to a singer or somebody, like Dierks Bentley,” Claire looked at him as Vivian paused in thought for a second, “I dunno seems like something he might sing.”

Claire laughed lightly at that before asking Vivian to play it for her. A minute later she once again became entranced and lost in the rich sounds that was her husband’s music. She found herself resting on his shoulder as he kept playing, not really caring about the world at the moment, letting the music relax her and sooth her in their happy little world.


End file.
